KRISTOFFER Ajer is a Norwegian captain in waiting, according to former Celtic defender Vidar Riseth.

Riseth, capped 52 times for his country, has watched Ajer’s progression with interest in Glasgow and says the 20-year-old defender excites his fellow countrymen in the same way Kieran Tierney does in Scotland.

The latter is due to pull on his boots for the first time this year as Celtic host Motherwell this afternoon, but it is Ajer whom Riseth has his eye on. The defender put in a battling display in Valencia last week as Celtic went out of the Europa League on a 3-0 aggregate scoreline but the manner of Ajer’s performance has offered further evidence for Riseth that the player will ultimately assume the role that former Parkhead midfielder Stefan Johansen occupies for Norway.

“Everyone here is excited about Kristoffer and when he plays in the Europa League and the Champions League it can only be a positive for his development. I have been a fan of his for a long time and I absolutely believe he will captain our country one day.

“He is a natural leader. He was the youngest ever captain in the league when he wore the armband at just 16 for IK Start. And it was not just that he was captain at that age but that he had the respect of his team-mates.

“A lot of that comes from his maturity. He is an exceptionally clever boy. He likes to study and he likes to work hard and it is that focus which has helped him. It would have been easy for him to stay in Norway where his career was going well and he was getting a lot of pats on the back but he wanted to go and test himself.

“Celtic is a club with big pressures and big demands and he has done very well to cope with all of that at a very young age. He still has a lot to learn but he is a player who is fun for us to watch because he battles so hard for the jersey but also he has that bit of quality to bring the ball out too.

“It’s a bit like you guys with Kieran Tierney. Everyone expects big things of him because you can see the talent that he has but also how much he wants it. That is the same with Ajer.”

Celtic return to the relative duty of domestic duty this afternoon following their European exit on Thursday night in Spain. With Filip Benkovic out of action until the end of next month at the earliest, there is a decision to make in terms of who forms the centre of defence.

Ajer’s performance against Valencia could see him keep a starting slot and Riseth anticipates that Celtic will be itching to put the European exit behind them as quickly as possible.

“Everyone knows how difficult it is to compete in Europe, especially when the money has not been spent so much on the team,” said Riseth. “It is such a challenging environment. Celtic will have taken some pride from the way they played in the second leg in Spain but it still hurts when you go out.

“They have a chance to focus again on their ambitions for the league and to be honest you always just want to get a defeat out of your system. It can be hard, though, because when you put so much energy into the game as Celtic did in Spain then you can feel a bit jaded after it.

“But always you have to find a way. It just helps to lift the crowd again.”